Rail-clamp.



. No. 734,869. PATENTED JULY 28, 1903. I

0. W. HILL.

RAIL CLAMP. APPLIGATIO'N FILED NOV. 25, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

, III-I;

W/TNESSES.

NITED TATES Patented July 28, i903.

RAlL-CLAM Pp SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Ito-734,869, dated J uly 2 8, I903.

Application filed November 25, 1902. Serial No. 132,824. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES WILLIAM and Improved Rail-Clamp, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to rail-clamps, such as shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States No. 648,258, granted to me April 24, 1900.

The object. of the presentinveution is to provide a new and improved rail-clamp which is simple and durable in construction, very efiective in operation, more especially designed for use on car-trucks carrying steamshovels, excavators, and the like, and arranged for automatically forming a stop or block for the car-truck wheels to prevent backward movement of the truck, but to al-, low free forward traveling thereof as the work progresses and the car-truck advances correspondingly.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims. I

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improvementas applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the improvement, and Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the same.

In the practical application of the improvement on a car-truck use is preferably made of two rail-clamps alike in construction and connected with each other by a transverse beam A in such a manner that eachclamp engages a rail B, overwhich travels the corresponding car-wheel C of the car-truck. The transverse beam A is provided with hookarms A, engaging with their hooks the caraxle C, so that the connected railclam'ps are carried along on the forward movement of thecar-truck. Each'rail-clamp is provided with a stop D, disposed over the rail in longitudinal alinement therewith, and the said stop has depending guide-lugs D, extending on opposite side's'of. the rail B, to prevent the stop from moving transversely oiit ment with the rail. l

The forward end of the stop I) mproyided with a shoe D adapted to be engaged by the tread of the car-wheel O, andt-he. from. and rear bottom portions D and D otthe said. stop D are adapted to travel onthe top of the rail B, as plainly indicated in the drawings. In the under side of the stop D, between the portions D and D is formed a recess D for the passage of a transversely-extending clamping-bar E, provided with depending clamping-jawsF and F, engaging the sides of the head of the rail B at points disposed diagonally, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 3. g The outer end of the clamping-bar E is connected by a pivot G with a link H, extending longitudinally and fulcrumed at itsrear end on a pin I, held on the stop D at the rear end thereof. 'A spring J, coiled on the pivot G, presses the clamping-bar E to hold the clamping-jaws F and F in contact with the head of the rail to lock the stop D normally in position on therail.

By arranging the jaws F and F asdesoribe i. and hanging the clamping-bar Eon'th'e link H it is evident that on a forward movement of the stop D the clamping-bar E is carried along, and its jaws glide freely over t'nesides of the head of the rail; but as soon as the stop comes to a standstill it is heldagainst rearward motion by the jaws F aud'F biting into the sides of the rail-head in a very firm manner. Thus a rearward movement of the carwheel finds the stop D locked to the raih so that the car-wheel cannot travel backward farther than the stop, and thus thec'ar-t'ruck is held against rearward movement.

It is' understood that in the present invention the clamping-jaws actively hold the stop D against-rearward motion as soon as the cartruck comes to a standstill, and it does not require the rearward motion of the stop to actuate the clamping-jaws, as is the case in thedevice shown and described in my former patent. The jaws are preferably made of hardened steel, with sharp vertically-disposed bitingedg'es to firmly bite into the rail, so that the heavier the rearward pressure of the car-wheel against the shoe the firmer the biting edges cut into the rail-head; In case a jaw F or F strikes a projection-say a rail .other side of the rail at a claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A rail-clamp suitably supported and arranged to move with the car-truck, a link piv-' o'te'dat one end to the support, a. transverse clamping-bar pivoted to the other end of said link and carried thereby, said clamping-bar having a transverse recess on its under side through which thetop section of the rail passes. a spring pressing said clamping-bar normally forward with the rear edge of the side of said recess adjacent the pivotpoint of the clamping-War bearing against the sideof the rail next to said pivot-point and with the other side of the recess bearing against the point diagonally opposite said first-mentioned bearing-point, said recess being somewhat wider than the tread of the rail and flared at its front end to permit said clamping-bar to move forward freely over said rail, the opposite sides of said recess at the points where they engage the rail being formed into biting points or jaws, whereby when it is attempted to move said clam pingbar rearwardly said diagonally-disposed jaws engage and clamp the rail and thereby prevent such movement, as set forth.

2. 'A rail-clamp arranged to move forward with the car-truck and having a stop for engagement by the tread of a car-wheel, to prevent rearward motion thereof, and a clamping device carried by the stop and having clamping-jaws engaging opposite sides of the rail at diagonally-located points on the rail, to normally hold the stop against rearward movement and to allow forward movement .of the stop on the car-truck traveling ahead,

as set forth.

3. A rail-clamp arranged to move forward with the car-truck and having a stop for engagement by the tread of a car-wheel, to prevent rearward motion thereof, and a clamping device carried by the stop and having clamping-jaws engaging opposite sides of the motion thereof, a transverse clamping-bar having clamping-jaws engaging opposite sides of the rail at diagonally-located points on the rail, to normally hold the stop against rearward movement and to allow forward movement of the stop on the car-truck travcling ahead, and a link fnlcrnmed on the stop and connected with the said clampingbar, as set forth.

5. A rail-clamp arranged to move forward with the truck and having a stop for engagement by the car-whee], to prevent rearward motion thereof, a transverse clampingbar havin'gclamping-jaws engagingoppositosides of the rail at diagonally-located points on the rail, to normally hold the stop against rearward movement and to allow forward move-- ment of the stop on the car-truck traveling ahead, a link fulcru med on the stop and connected with the said-clampingbar, and a spring pressing the clamping-bar for holding the jaws in engagement with the rail, as set forth.

6. A rail-clamparranged to move forward with the car-truck and having a clamping-bar extending transverselyof the rail and carried by a pivot at one end; aspring pressing the rear side of said bar to move its free end in advance of its pivoted end; and jaws extending downwardly from said bar to engage the sides of the head of the rail at points disposed diagonally; the jaw or biting-block on the pivoted end of the clam ping-bar being in the rear of the jaw 0n the free end of the bar.

In testimony whereof I' have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES WILLIAM HILL. Witnesses:

E. W. PAUL, WESLEY L. FERREE. 

